Jim Fitzpatrick: Lord Truscott will represent the UK at the forthcoming Energy Council in Luxembourg during the afternoon of 6 June.
	The only substantive item on the Council agenda is the Internal Gas ad Electricity Market, on which there will be a policy debate. The debate will follow on from the discussions of proposals put forward in the Commission' strategic energy review that took place at the Energy Council in February and spring European Council in March. One of the key conclusions agreed by Ministers and Heads of Government was that further measures were required to achieve a fully effective internal energy market. This is something that the UK very much supports.
	The debate will draw on three communications produced by the Commission and submitted to the Council as part of the Commission' strategic energy review (an energy policy for Europe) in January 2007. These discussion documents cover (a) Prospects for the Internal Gas and Electricity Market; (b) the Sector Inquiry by DG Competition on the Gas and Electricity Markets and (c) the EU' Priority Interconnection Plan.
	Discussion will focus on the four main issues that the Commission intends to address in a further legislative package on the internal energy market, which is expected to be submitted in September 2007: further unbundling of networks, effective regulation, adequate infrastructure investment and co-operation among network operators.
	The UK Government support the Commission position on all these proposals, and considers them as vital for the further development of the internal market.
	The only other agenda item covers "International relations in the field of energy". This is an important issue for the UK, though will only be an information item at this Council. It was discussed more fully at the March spring Council when the UK and other European Heads of Government reaffirmed the need for the EU to speak with a common voice on shared energy objectives. The German presidency and the Commission will report on a number of developments on the EU's relations with the USA, Russia, OPEC and Africa; on proposed international co-operation in energy efficiency; on the Energy Community Treaty; and on other EU initiatives in the international field.